Ethics, self-interest, and the public good - Page 19

17
Joel L. Fleishman
testimony, “ he admitted… that before leaving he copied Pioneer Press comput-er
files containing confidential business information, took the copies with him,
and showed some of the material to other executives at his new employer.” 24
The perversion of public office for the private gain of office- holders has been with
us since the beginning of history. In many parts of today’s world, that practice is
still expected and accepted behavior, so much so that one is even tempted to call
it legal, if only as a matter of common usage. Virtually every U. S. corporation
confronts this fact of life in doing business abroad, and those companies that pride
themselves on sticking to the high ground— and incidentally obeying US law that
governs their behavior abroad— are forced to operate at a disadvantage in compet-ing
with less scrupulous companies that don’t mind giving bribes and lying about
that fact.
Even in some parts of the United States today, unethical official practices
continue to be part of the tacit culture. The difference between the US and other
parts of the world, however, is very much like what Ferrel Guillory said regarding
North Carolina. Namely, that, thanks primarily to the Founding Fathers’ inge-nious
multi- layered structure of checks- and- balances independent of one another,
empowered by an aggressive, free and frequently irresponsible investigative
journalism, there exist competing authorities that have the independent power to
enforce laws prohibiting such illegal self- interested perversion of public office. In
other countries in which corruption is rife, the same authorities who are soliciting
and taking bribes are also in control of the governmental apparatus responsible for
preventing corruption. In the US, usually they are not. So even if the legislative
branch of government, or state government itself, wished to be protective of those
If NC, then, has not lost its innocence,
what is it that is happening?
24 Minneapolis Star- Tribune,
September 18, 2007, 1A

Click tabs to swap between content that is broken into logical sections.

17
Joel L. Fleishman
testimony, “ he admitted… that before leaving he copied Pioneer Press comput-er
files containing confidential business information, took the copies with him,
and showed some of the material to other executives at his new employer.” 24
The perversion of public office for the private gain of office- holders has been with
us since the beginning of history. In many parts of today’s world, that practice is
still expected and accepted behavior, so much so that one is even tempted to call
it legal, if only as a matter of common usage. Virtually every U. S. corporation
confronts this fact of life in doing business abroad, and those companies that pride
themselves on sticking to the high ground— and incidentally obeying US law that
governs their behavior abroad— are forced to operate at a disadvantage in compet-ing
with less scrupulous companies that don’t mind giving bribes and lying about
that fact.
Even in some parts of the United States today, unethical official practices
continue to be part of the tacit culture. The difference between the US and other
parts of the world, however, is very much like what Ferrel Guillory said regarding
North Carolina. Namely, that, thanks primarily to the Founding Fathers’ inge-nious
multi- layered structure of checks- and- balances independent of one another,
empowered by an aggressive, free and frequently irresponsible investigative
journalism, there exist competing authorities that have the independent power to
enforce laws prohibiting such illegal self- interested perversion of public office. In
other countries in which corruption is rife, the same authorities who are soliciting
and taking bribes are also in control of the governmental apparatus responsible for
preventing corruption. In the US, usually they are not. So even if the legislative
branch of government, or state government itself, wished to be protective of those
If NC, then, has not lost its innocence,
what is it that is happening?
24 Minneapolis Star- Tribune,
September 18, 2007, 1A